Arteta's Arson-al

28:04And then that does filter down then. Yeah, brilliant. Inside or outside? No, they'd have to finish inside. their qualification because then there would be a double qualification ok if Villa finish in the top 5 somebody talking to you in your ear giving you bad information we both feel like we've seen something like this so we were just trying to the way I see it is if Villa finish in the top 5 and win the Europa League their qualification for the Europa League comes through the Europa League and therefore an extra club will have to come in from England, that's my understanding but we're not there yet but it's not complicated I know you're going to repeat it it's probably right but I'm not going to confuse us all you're giving this too much thought we'll be giving this game a lot more thought tomorrow Chelsea against Manchester United join us on ESPN FC to look back on it avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start thumbtack knows homes so you don't have to don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is with thumbtack you don't have to be a home pro you just have to hire one you can hire top rated pros see price estimates and read reviews all on the Thumbtack app.

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30:08They're the ones with the bear on the box. So, Atleti are flying the flag for La Liga in the Champions League this season. and heroic athletic front page of Marca and our Madrid correspondent Alex Kirkland caught up with Adamola Luchman to talk more about what's going on right now. It was quite a goal that you scored the other night. Was that the kind of move that you'd worked on in training and were you looking to do that to kind of draw Barcelona out from the back to then hit them in behind? Yeah I think definitely I think obviously the pass to Greasy makes the play and of course his touch is amazing and so it kind of like opens the space for Marco to run into.

30:51That's just for me to just try and sprint as fast as I can just to get on the end of the cross, which I did. So thankfully, Mark tells the goal. So yeah, really happy. I wanted to ask about another one of your teammates, Anton Griezmann. You're not going to be playing with him for very long, unfortunately. We know that he's leaving this summer, so it's just a few months. You, of course, knew all about him as a player and how good he is. What's it been like playing with him? what's your take on him seeing him up close? He's for me a legend in football for what he's brought to the game, for what he is, what he represents.

31:28But obviously training with him every single day, you think, wow, there's moments where I think maybe you could stay a bit longer. To be able to see that close up every single day is something that of course you obviously appreciate and obviously learn from him as well, you know. So, yeah, an absolute pleasure. An absolute pleasure. There's been a lot of love for Antoine Griezmann and rightfully so this week on this show. And given that we have got a Frenchman on the panel tonight, let's talk a little bit about what the feeling's been about Antoine Griezmann right now in France, Frank. I think everybody loves him.

32:07What he did for the French national team, what he did for Atleti. I think the only bad moment was when he signed for Barcelona. It was in the right time. Messi was still there. And so Griezmann had to move to another position and it didn't work. So that's the only time that people could have complained about this career. But overall, what he did in Spain, and I think everybody in France regrets that he never played for a French team that even didn't go to any academy before, in France, but is somebody who exported the French flair at his best. And is the guy like Michel Platini, like, of course, Zinedine Zidane, somebody special in the middle of the park who can bring, like we saw on the pass that he made for, I forgot the number 14 in Atleti.

33:05Llorente. Llorente, thank you very much. that's something that few people are able to do because they see everything before the others they know exactly how it works they see everything in slow motion and it's what I saw on Griezmann so many times when he was in front of the goal that it's so accurate he knows exactly what he's going to do because he knows that he has the time to do so and that's a regret that we're not going to see him at the best level but that would be a very good opportunity for soccer, for the MLS to grow as well, to have a player like that. There was a ball he played in the first leg of the Tottenham game as well to Julian Alvarez.

33:52The ball was coming out. For those that remember, I remember it vividly. The ball was coming out of the sky and he was facing away. Alvarez was over here making a run and he sort of hooked it on the half volley coming out. I mean, the ball was coming down 30, 40 feet. He hooked it on the half volley. Straight into the oncoming, Julian Alvarez, he didn't have to break stride. And he took it through and scored. You've got a feeling that he wants to go out on a high. He's in his comfort zone at Atleti, particularly since Christmas onwards, and particularly in the last, I'm going to say, five or six weeks.

34:26He's been absolutely brilliant. He's just been all over the place. He's been picking passes up. He's been finding great space. The balls that Frank's talking about, that he's been playing through to his team, everything. He's been, honestly, he's been, it's almost like he's like 21-year-old again. But he's moving to Orlando for next season and you just feel that, you know, he wants to go out. And Frank's right. Basa didn't work for him for various reasons and he wanted to go back to Atleti and you just feel he's in his comfort zone at that club. He's not quite the epitome of what this team is because this team's about hard work and graft.

35:02They're not as much as they used to be. No, not as much as when Diego Godin and Savage and all that were there. But, you know, there's still a little bit of that about them. He just sprinkles that stardust, doesn't he? It's fantastic. He's still been able to choke to do both sides of the athlete. He'll put the hard work in, won't he? And that's what I'm happy about because he went through a spell at the end of last season and the beginning of this season where everyone looked like and was saying, oh he's passed it and you never want to kind of finish what you've done so well with that asterisk and then he came out the other side and has absolutely been on a tear so much so that it was like oh you're gonna go at the beginning of the MLS season and then it was like yeah no you're you're not going anywhere you're staying for the rest.

35:52How good a get is it though for MLS to be bringing a player like this over? Like anything, it's, Anton Griezmann still has to recognize the qualities of MLS. And if you put the effort in that you put in for Atletico, you'll be fine. If you think you can come here and again, in a not very good Orlando side and play at 50%, 75%, you'll struggle. But I don't see that in him. I don't see that in his mentality. I don't see it in the way he plays. If I may, you know, he has seen Messi doing the job for Inter Miami and giving his best and seeing the club changing dramatically. So with 80 % of Messi, because we all know that he's not the Messi we have known, it was enough because he wanted to give 100 % of his best, which is, as I said, 80%.

36:45But I'm pretty sure Griezmann is a professional player and he knows that he will have to work hard and do his best for his new club. And again, I'm sure he's going to be an example for young generations and bring something special to the MLS and of course Orlando. Well, so Frank, hold on. Sorry, Craig. Go on. So Messi got to bring Busquets and Jordi Alba and Suarez. Does Griezmann get to bring Angolo Kante? Why not? A couple other older French guys with him to make it happen? Do you know what? It's a good get for Orlando. There's no doubt he's a great player. But if we're being honest about it, only really Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of the current group are really going to move the needle.

37:31Correct. In terms of eyes on the spoilt. Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic did too. Not to the same extent as Messi, though. But what I'm saying is as good a player as Antoine Griezmann is, what you're getting is a very talented player. As I said, it's really only those two players that actually move the needle that make people sit up and go, wow, how much works. But it also makes people fly across the country to sit in a stand to watch that. For the club, as Casey said, as long as he's not here for a holiday and you've got to presume he's an extremely professional individual, what it does do with signings like this it helps I think and this is only my opinion I think it helps the local players or the less experienced players be it from America or South America or wherever they're from to look at somebody like that how do they train?

38:31Yep How do they get to the top? So I think it's a very good learning process for if you want to learn if you're a youngster or a younger player from whatever country, Orlando, and Antoine Griezmann comes in and he's training hard and you're looking at him going, that's what it takes. If I want to go to Europe, if I want to go and play at the top, that's what it takes. And I think that's where it can be very good for some of these clubs. That's a very important point that you made. I remember being in Qatar with Guardiola, Batistuta, Gero, and we were sharing that time where we could see in the dressing room young players and even those who were a little bit older, looking at us for every details.

39:12What does he do? How does he do? And you feel it. So you are forced in a way to carry on and show and be an example. That's what Antoine is going to face. The players, they're going to look at him. Okay, show us the way to the success. That's what it is. And that is why it's very good for the MLS. I definitely felt that responsibility when I came home, not to treat the MLS any different than I would have a Premier League game, a La Liga game, a Bundesliga game, because I didn't want, like you said, the young players around me to go, oh, this is how he treats matches? No, I want to say this is how I treat every match, and I'm not going to treat this as a second-class citizen.

39:56And just finally on Griezmann, looking ahead to the Champions League, he is the player currently, as we sit here now, He is the player that Arsenal don't have at the moment. Agreed. They've got Odegaard, they've got Eze, and Saka's injured. But these players are either injured or dropped or out of form. And that playmaker, that match winner, is something that's been sorely missing in recent weeks for Arsenal. To give them that guile, to play that pass, and that's why they've been as pedestrian as they've been in the final third. Atletico Madrid have that player at the moment, and Antoine Griezmann, who is the game-winner, the match-changer, and that, again, is something that's going to be interesting when those two meet up.

40:43Yes, but before that for Atleti, there is the Copa del Rey final, and that is coming up here on ESPN+. You can catch it tomorrow. In fact, we have a full one-hour preview for you from 2pm Eastern, all the build-up to the big game in Spain. it's Atletico Madrid against Real Sociedad. Let's turn our attention to the US men's national team recent results, namely those last two against the European teams, KC Portugal and Belgium. Maybe a bit of a wake-up call here. We'll get to that in just a moment, but first let's hear from Brendan Aronson who sat down with Julian Leront for an exclusive interview.

41:23There's this kind of stigma that people don't think that we care and stuff like that. But we do care. I think we care a lot. You know, it's difficult when we go into games and, you know, we lose games like that. I think the Belgium game was a bit hard done by because I thought we were the better team for most of that game. And, you know, it's moments for us right now. I think we're a bit unlucky with the national team. I think, you know, there's just little moments that don't go our way and then they get the goal and then they, you know, we're a bit more spread out. We're trying to go for it. And then they score another one.

41:51I think everybody gives, I think this camp, I saw everybody was super focused. I saw a great group of guys that, you know, want to make the country proud, want to make everybody proud. And, you know, this is now it's up to us. You know, we have two more games going into the World Cup to do what we can. And, you know, the coach is giving us all the right things that we can do. So, I mean, it's just up to us. You know, it's up to us to make the final thing. And I think everybody's ready to go for it and ready to give their all. You feel a bit of pressure already being the host nation, just simply the people's expectation of they want the U.S.

42:18to do well. You want to do well, but it's still a World Cup with the best players in the world, you know. Yeah, of course. I mean, like, listen, we played Belgium and Portugal last two games. Like, of course, we wanted to do better, but, I mean, they're two of the best countries in the world, and it's difficult. I know we could have done better, and I think, you know, going into the World Cup, we're going to have three tough group stage games where they're very, very good. And, yeah, we're just going to have to be ready for these games, and I think we will be. We've played against most of these teams, and we're just really ready to, you know, give our all and, you know, go to the next round and, you know, get past around a 16 and, you know, keep doing our thing.

42:53Okay, so let's talk a little bit about what he had to say there. People think we don't care, but they do care, Casey. Well, of course they care. But I think there was the two windows before this last window, we started to see a change. We started to see the team not only kind of show that spirit that the fans expect, But then to finish it off with the result capped by that fantastic win against Uruguay. So then I think everybody kind of felt like, OK, what we'd seen for 18 months, they've come through it. They're starting to recognize, you know, what Pochettino wants. Pochettino is finally getting his message across.

43:41And then you play a couple of really good teams. And I would agree with Brendan probably for the first 30 minutes of the match against Belgium, where I thought they were the better team. And I was like, I really, I really liked what I saw. But I was nervous because I was nervous because it was so progressively attacking that I just thought, you're gonna you're you're leaving a team a lot of spaces a lot of opportunities to get to you and I just thought it was a little cavalier and then you know the U.S. takes the lead from being the better team and then you know you can see two goals before halftime and they melt right and I think that's the other side we've all been in situations where you're playing really well and when you're playing a good team, you don't think you're going to have 90 minutes where you're the best team.

44:45You're going to understand that that team's going to make adjustments and we're going to have to adjust. And heck, you might concede a goal or two. But then how do you stay in that fight? Or do you just collapse? And I think those are those little moments that still haven't really flipped a switch yet in this Pochettino time frame. Yeah. Is that maybe I'm just tossing around that coffee paper you gave me. Is that maybe a bit of naivety? Yes. Hundred percent. And that idea of. Oh, no, we can we can play these guys heads up. You can play certain teams heads up, but other teams you still have to respect.

45:28Maybe we're not quite there yet. Maybe we need to be a little bit more conservative. Maybe we can't push this guy forward, overlap, other guy on the other side, get in the box, and then, oh, here's a missed pass, or here's a shot off the post that ricochets out, and next thing you know, oh, yeah, here, here's a doku running at you, and you're like, oh, all right. Maybe we need to respect that a little bit. That's a bit like me thinking I could run around Roberto Carlos in the 98 World Cup. It just wasn't happening. The thought never even crossed my mind. But you were there. You were there and you cared.

46:06You wouldn't want to do it. It's not nice to be told, though. Who's saying that? I don't know, because, you know, I don't really, really get involved in the U.S. side of things. But who's accusing him of not caring? It was earlier. It was early on in Pochettino's time where there really was one of the main, you know, conversations when we would analyze a match. It would be, what's going on here? I mean, it's just nothing. It's just flat. There's no fight. And then, like I said, they had those windows where they got results. And it's like, oh, nice. I don't have to be critical. I can absolutely just say, yes, this is what we've been waiting for.

46:54We've been waiting for that, you know, both, you know, the quality, but then also that heart that seemed to be lacking. And then, unfortunately, you know, you have your window before, you know, where you really want to kind of continue that momentum in the selection process and kind of finishing those little pieces. And then it was like back to square one. And that was the frustrating start. Now your sport director jumps ship. You're back with more questions than answers. At the end of the day, it's all talk, isn't it? Yes, agreed. The proof's going to be in the pudding. That's it. On the big stage, it's there for everybody to see.

47:41And the Ulcerans will be the Ulcerans and the teams that step up and are competitive will give themselves a chance. To me, this was a two-year preseason. right and we've all had pre-seasons where you have a great pre-season and you start the league terrible you have a terrible pre-season and you start the league great there there is no correlation I mean yes it makes the fans feel better it makes us pundits feel better but in the end that first match in LA is the only thing that matters yep and there's a lot more of Casey talking like this on the latest edition of Football Americas. Be sure to go and check that out.

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49:15They're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. All Coventry City needed to do to secure promotion to the Premier League was a void defeat in their game this evening and they managed to do so, although they did leave it a little late. However, they are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2001.

49:53And this is a historic team. They're one of the founding members of the Premier League back in 1992, Craig. They were a staple of the top-flight football. I mean, they won the FA Cup, I think, in 87. Yeah, against Spurs. Against Spurs. they never seem to be really in that much they had a few seasons where they maybe got themselves in a little bit of trouble Matt Robbins you know just talking about recently before Frank Lampard Matt Robbins the ex-Man United player was there for a while and did a really good job almost took them to an FA Cup final lost to Man United when it was very late on got them to the playoff championship for some reason left the club when it wasn't going terribly wrong don't know what was going on but did a good job.

50:39Then Frank Lampard comes in. Obviously, he's had an up-and-down career, but he knows the Championship because he managed Derby in the Championship. And he has done an amazing job there at Coventry City. And yeah, they have been at Highfield Road, that old stadium that's been updated now. It's a great little stadium. You know, you always had to go to Coventry if you played in the Premier League. But a bit like Nottingham Forest, who are obviously back in the big time now, but may not be for long, who knows. they dipped out I think 96 98 something like that and they were 20 odd years or 20 years before they came back so Sheffield Wednesday now Sheffield Wednesday going into they're going into League 1 and yet they were a they were a you know it can happen you go down you have these financial problems you get the parachute payment but players leave the championships 46 games as you know It's a tough one.

51:36It's a slog. It's a grind. It is not easy. And so they look as if, well, they're going to go up. Whether they go up as champions or not, I don't know. But an amazing job, yeah. Yeah, head and shoulders above the rest. Congratulations to Coventry. They are back in the Premier League. All right, we'll see you over at Extra Time. Frank's back to answer your questions.

51:59Six, five, Champions League spots. Lots going on in the Premier League this season. and thank you so much for sending any questions. I mean, sorry. Do you want it back up? Villa finished, no, not really. We didn't have to have that up. So basically they have to finish fifth, right? And then win, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, it's either going back up or not going back up. All right, let's get to the questions. Frank Leboeuf is with us. We've probably bamboozled him with some of our Champions League qualification chat. All right, we've heard some of the unorthodox methods that Arteta has used to inspire his teams before big matches.

52:37This week he lit a fire while giving his speech to the players before they face sporting. Okay, so this is late in the fight before sporting. Did you ever play for a manager who used unusual methods to inspire your team? No. No? Casey? I'm trying to think. Anything that was, you know, uncharacteristic of what, you know, old school old school was always like hey let's let's have a little get together let's go out you know have some team building a couple drinks have a have some you know let's figure this out not gimmicky psychological stuff uh well no no frank

53:25I'm so happy that nobody tried to do that with me. You know, that would have been a catastrophe. But I remember in the national team where Raymond Domenech, the national team coach, tried to do theatres with the players. And we had some recordings about that. And with Christophe Dugueri, for example, I can tell you that the players, they were so ashamed of doing that because they knew that they didn't know how to do it but they had to do it because the coach asked for them to do that asked them to do that so yeah I'm so happy I didn't have a coach as crazy because you have to be crazy to do stuff like that Craig hold on a minute hold on a minute put that Dale Johnson graphic back up again Mike if you would I've got to get my head around this he's going well they're just going to get it he's going to get it ready he's going to get it ready okay let me get a question to you while they get it ready, okay?

54:19Solskjaer won his first eight games, Craig. Carrick seems to be Ole 2.0. Why should they make him permanent? Yeah, that's one of the questions because there is some history there to rushing to judgment and giving a player a job. However, there is also some history there at Man United recently to going down the experience route and it's still not working. So it's a bit of a rock and a hard place. for the easy thing for United would have been if Carrick was a disaster then they would have had to have gone out through but he hasn't been a disaster, it's been a bit tougher recently but he hasn't been a disaster far from it so that's them now in a position of do we still go and look which I presume they do and how far up the sort of ladder of getting the job is Michael Carrick, I don't know, United have screwed this up so many times, recently I don't know what were they going to go?

55:14OK, we have got the Premier League European spots explained once again. Let's get this graphic back on. It's been a running topic on tonight. Yes. Where is it? Here we go. It's coming off right now. Villa have to finish outside the top four for the Premier League to get six places in the Champions League. Right. If Villa finish top four, the place for the Europa League title holders goes to the team in Champions League qualifying with the best power... So if Villa finish fifth... Don't ask me any questions about this. Yeah, correct. That would be the only way, right? With six places, if Villa finish fifth?

55:51Yeah. If Villa finish fifth, then... It just doesn't make sense. Yeah, it doesn't. It doesn't make sense because fifth place... There's five automatic... Let me say this. There's five... There's five automatic qualification places for England this upcoming season. that's five into the Champions League. If Villa finish in one of those positions and win... So what difference does the fifth place have, Raul? I think, if I may, correct, Craig? If I may, maybe they forgot to say that if Villa wins the European, the Europa League. So maybe, and finish fifth. I don't know. Maybe. All right, I'm still...

56:38I can't understand. Yeah. Point off. I've got the if Villa win the Europa League, but I just don't want to confuse us any further. That's why. See, to me it's quite simple, but obviously there's a reason there's not. If Villa win the Europa League... And finish in the top five. Yeah, it's a double qualification. Right. So I think they're trying to stop the extra team. In this case, the title holder spot would be rebalanced to the club with the highest individual coefficient in the qualifying rounds, which wouldn't necessarily be a Premier League team. Correct. If Villa win the Europa League and finish sixth or lower, it would be a bonus scenario.

57:18Villa would go to the Champions League as title holders and the Premier League would still keep its five spots for the teams finishing first and fifth. Which they're getting now anyway, whether Villa win the Europa League or not. This would mean six English teams in the Champions League. If they win the Europa League and they finish outside the top six. Oh, you're wrong. Oh, my God. Okay, next question. Hold on. Hold on. In any scenario, you're confused. In any scenario, a Villa win the Europa League. They go to the Champions League. They go to the Champions League. And in any scenario, really, there is five teams in England going to qualify.

57:57Unless Villa are one of the five teams. And then it goes to the coefficient. And then it goes. No, wrong. No, no, it's good, I understand. If Villa win the Europa League, they go to Champions League. But we don't care if they are in the first five. They don't count anymore. So they get the first five in the Premier League, but Aston Villa. Yes, that's what I thought on this. Then the winner goes to the coefficient? I can't wait to see the comments section today. All right. I'll be honest, I couldn't give a toss. but I just yeah but you ask you don't give a toss when you ask to do the graphic twice you know I'm going to bother you tonight you're going to be like sat at home going hang on a minute I'm not no no I'm going to crack a beer up and out the fridge and I want to get my stuff about this and you can put in the comments whatever you want because I don't read comments on YouTube I've got a life but I think it's quite interesting because it's very confusing isn't it very yeah and that's it is it's kind of where the system is at the moment with this extra team and the qualification but you know I don't know somebody's got it wrong somebody's got it wrong and it could well be us and it might be irrelevant in the end anyway but we'll find out we'll find out well we could talk about this tomorrow we have an hour build up for Real Sociedad against I'm sure they'll be really interested in Aston Villa and the English Premier League if you were Spurs would you sacrifice the Europa League trophy from last season to stay in the Premier League Ah, Casey.

59:30100%. You have to be in the Premier League. You know, winning trophies are bonuses. League is league. League is, and I mean, it's really unthinkable. I spoke about it with someone the other day, and you know, obviously results didn't go the way Tottenham wanted over, you know, this last week, both their own and around them. But it's in their hands. you know they they've got to figure it out and you know i was in a team at fulham that won that was dead and buried and we won four out of our last five matches and and stayed up so yeah there's no question that spurs can do it i mean it's just a case of i mean you haven't won a match since december at some stage you have to win that first match to get this to get this run going and there's been a lot of changes there's been a lot of different players in and out and it just nobody's been able to figure it out Do you want to see that graphic again?

1:00:35No I do not want to see that graphic again ever in my life, never You know what is regrettable about that question is that players will tell you players who won the Europa League last year with Tottenham they're going to go to another club if Spurs are relegated So they don't care. They're going to tell you that they're very happy to have won the Europa League because they're going to have a chance to play in the Premier League again because they're going to sign for another club. They shouldn't be stuck with the club if they are all relegated. All right, next question. Is it about Villa? No, thank goodness.

1:01:11Any idea where Iriola is going next season since Bournemouth allegedly has already picked a new manager for next season? Well, I'm stating the obvious, but it looks like the path could be athletic club. That's what I'm thinking. It's a farmer club. Ernesto Valverde. They've had a rough year. They've had a rough year. They've played some good stuff under him, but this year they've struggled. Won the Copa del Rey last season, I think. Yeah. That's kind of logically where it seems he's going to go. Might be something, with all respect, might be something bigger than that. I don't know Should United be looking now that he's available at a manager like this?

1:01:53Yeah I was talking to Stevie about this about Areola and he said we were talking about him and Alonso and who's available even for the Tottenham job when Thomas Frank got it I think there was a lot of people who would have preferred Areola to go in there and Stevie said to me look if Liverpool were to get rid of Arne Slott and we don't know what's going to be he said I'd have him I'd have him because he's an experienced manager now he's done a great job He was at Rayo, wasn't he? Yeah, he did a great job. Got Rayo promoted and then stabilised him back in the top flight. And Bournemouth is taking them to another level from being a team that we're fighting relegation to a team that we're looking at European football and they sold all their best players, bulk of their best players, and yet they've still coped.

1:02:41So I don't have the answer, but United should be looking at them as should others. but there are some rumours that Bilbao is and he may want to go home, I don't know. He's at home to Spain. Yeah, and to his former club, yeah, when he played there. Casey, how many number nine should the US men's national team bring to the World Cup? Who would you bring? I think you're looking at probably three. I think Balogun is a lock. and then it really probably with Ajiman injured because I really felt that it was going to be Pepe and then a fight for that third between Ajiman and Haji Wright. Where does Weah come into this?

1:03:32Would you not consider him an out-and-out? Weah? Yeah. He's been playing outside back for Juventus. And in the last friendlies... He's an attacker. I know, but he started as an outside back in his last match with the national team. So, yeah. So if you're playing, but even then he would probably play out wide and not straight down the middle. Right. So, but I think those three are right. Baligan and Ricardo Pepe probably are the three. Frank, what would you say are your former club Strasbourg's chances of winning the Conference League? Well, they will have to beat Rayo Valicano, I think, and you have to respect the club.

1:04:25But my cousin was at the Lamino yesterday for the game that they won against mine 4-0. I was invited, but I couldn't make it because I was on stage. But the atmosphere is incredible. And with the fans that they have and the spirit that they have, I want to believe that it's possible. And that would be great. That's the first time they reach the semifinal and offer any European competition. And with some players leaving every year, they have their coach leaving mid-season. It's kind of a miracle. And I want to thank Mark Keller, my, not Casey Keller, but Mark Keller, my former teammate from Strasbourg, who used to play for West Ham as well, for the job that he has done as a chairman of the Wrestling Club, Strasbourg.

1:05:13So hopefully I want to be there. I want to see them and support them. It's possible. Rayo Varadicano, I think he's only 12th or 3rd in La Liga. So everything is possible. And when you see Tottenham winning last year in the Europa League, you want to believe this is possible for Strasbourg to win the Conference League. Rayo's first final as well. When I was with Rayo, we lost in the quarterfinals of UEFA. Yeah, and so now semis. And so they've taken a step higher as well. And yeah, I think it's kind of cool for a couple of clubs that have not been in that situation before. Yeah, but one killer is not there anymore in one team.

1:05:52And another killer is still there in one team. So that's it. He's another manager that's really highly thought of, isn't he? Inigo Perez. Yeah. Yeah, he's done great things. You know, he's done. True. You know, they've had a few blips recently in terms of the league. They're going to. Yeah. But with the budget they have and all the facilities that they don't have, but the way they play as well, they play fast, attacking, entertaining. It's good to watch football. So, yeah, I mean, I don't know who's going to win that game, but he's another one. And I think Sid Lowe was telling me before that he was either going to come with Areola or he was offered a job in England, this is Perez, and he couldn't get a work permit to do it.

1:06:34one of the top coaches in Spain. The one thing that Rayo has had... Macca rates him highly. Yeah, but the one thing that Rayo has always benefited from is being Madrid. And they've been that opportunity for a player that didn't quite make it at Atletico, didn't quite make it at Real, or was from Madrid, kind of went out, applied their trade, and then had the opportunity to come back to the capital. And Rio has always benefited from that. And they're one of the most promoted and relegated teams in Spain. But again, they're having another run in the top flight, and rightfully so. I wonder what happens if Villa and the Europa League go.

1:07:25What Villa finish? We're ending it there. We are done. No more. That's it. Thank you so much. Dale Johnson says, I'm Dale Johnson. We'll see you next time. Maybe we've got the answer. Maybe not. Probably not.

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